Just two months after the

in the Greater Toronto Area, there is now another reason to celebrate:

The eastern main section of the Eglinton Crosstown Line entered passenger service today, 8 February 2026, as Line 5 – a new light rail transit (LRT) line operated with low-floor vehicles, strengthening local public transport in the metropolis and representing a major expansion of the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) rail network. The route runs for around 19 kilometres in an east–west direction along Eglinton Avenue, from Mount Dennis in the west to Kennedy Station in the east, and includes 25 stations, 15 of which are underground. The line has been designed so that its longer tunnel sections, totalling more than 10 kilometres, provide high operational reliability and significantly shorter journey times compared with the former bus services.

Construction officially began in 2011, although the main phase of works did not start until 2016 under a public–private partnership (DBFM) model. The Crosslinx Transit Solutions consortium is responsible for the design, construction, financing and long-term maintenance of the project. Over the course of construction, numerous delays occurred. The main causes included unexpected geological conditions, particularly difficult ground and groundwater issues, which complicated tunnel construction. Originally, Line 5 had been scheduled to enter service as early as 2020.

External factors further affected the progress of the project. From 2020 onwards, the COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary construction shutdowns, reduced productivity and supply chain disruptions. At the same time, disputes between Metrolinx and the construction consortium over responsibility for delays and cost overruns intensified, further complicating project management. In the public sphere, repeatedly postponed opening dates—sometimes without specific new timelines—prompted considerable criticism.

Construction of the LRT line was delivered under a public–private partnership model (DBFM – Design, Build, Finance and Maintain). The Crosslinx Transit Solutions consortium was awarded a 30-year contract worth approximately CAD 9.1 billion; following provisional project completion, total costs have since risen to around CAD 12.8 billion. Funding is provided jointly by the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto via Metrolinx, the regional transport authority.

Technically, the line is operated using ‘

light rail vehicles (LRVs), selected by Metrolinx for this route. A total of 76 vehicles were supplied by Alstom, as successor to the former rail business section of the Canadian Bombardier Group, and were finally completed and tested at the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility (EMSF).

Each vehicle is 100% low-floor, approximately 31 metres long, 2.65 metres wide, and runs on standard gauge (1,435 mm), as does the Finch West Line. The vehicles are fully accessible, feature several wide doors on each side, and are equipped with modern passenger information systems. As each unit has a driver’s cab at only one end, trains normally operate as coupled pairs; if required, formation of longer trainsets can be used in the future, increasing capacity to up to around 490 passengers per train.

In underground sections, trains reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, and up to 60 km/h on surface sections, with an average commercial speed including stops of about 28 km/h. The route is equipped with a modern signalling and control system, based on automatic train control (ATC) in the tunnels and supplemented by partial manual operation on surface sections. Power is supplied via overhead lines, and the Mount Dennis depot has been designed to accommodate up to 135 vehicles, providing capacity for future extensions.

A key feature of the new LRT line is its close integration with Toronto’s existing transport network. Line 5 offers direct interchange with several TTC subway lines, GO regional rail services, the UP Express airport service, and numerous bus routes along Eglinton Avenue, significantly improving intermodal connectivity.

Once the final timetable is introduced in approximately three to six months, weekday ridership of around 123,000 passengers is expected. At present, trains operate Monday to Saturday from 5.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m., and on Sundays from 7.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m., officially as part of a soft-launch phase (‘phased start’) intended to allow the gradual introduction of the new system.

In the future, Line 5 will be extended westwards from its current Mount Dennis terminus by seven additional stations over a distance of 9.2 kilometres to Renforth Drive. An opening date of 2031 is currently envisaged for this largely underground extension.